title: Executive skills 21: a forecast of leadership skills and associated competencies required by naval hospital administrators into the 21st century.
abstract: Those in the Naval Medical Department are experiencing an exciting time of bridled chaos and creative change. Many mid-career officers are uncertain of the leadership behaviors and skills that will be necessary for successful managerial careers. Changes in the method of health care delivery of this nation combined with the reengineering of the armed forces' world-wide mission has driven military medical leaders to expand their professional skills, knowledge, and abilities beyond the clinical sciences. This research identifies the most critical domains in the science of health care administration and differentiates and ranks job skill, knowledge, and ability requirements that will be necessary for successful health care management into the 21st century. Top Naval hospital executives responded to two iterations of a Delphi inquiry. These medical leaders identified 106 unique issues that were content-analyzed into nine domains by a neutral, expert panel. Domains, in order of ranked importance, were leadership, health care delivery systems, cost-finance, technology, accessibility, professional staff relations, marketing, quality-risk management, and ethics. In the second Delphi iteration, hospital executives reviewed domain results and rated identified job requirements on their required job importance. The top-10 rated skills, knowledge, and abilities are reported. Results indicated that although a business orientation is needed for organizational survival, an emphasis on person-oriented skills, knowledge, and abilities is required for future success as a health care administrator in the Naval health care system.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration, Army Medical Department Center and School, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6100, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sentell
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Finstuen
mesh_terms: D003697:Delphi Technique; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000639:trends*; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D009326:Naval Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States